Beijing Olympics: Trap

The Onion's, "In The Know" video series is quickly becoming one of my favorite video series... here's their latest offering, The Beijing Olympics: Are They A Trap?

2008 Olympic Opening Ceremonies Video Leak

The 2008 Olympics will be starting up soon and I am mostly indifferent about the Olympics... I do enjoy watching the 'real' sports - basketball, tennis, water polo, cycling, track and field events, etc... but of course their are the non-athletic competitions that oftentimes get the most coverage (ie: gymnastics and any other sport involving judging) or are just heavily promoted and a person just gets tired of hearing about it...

2 of my most hated parts of the Olympics are the opening and closing ceremonies which are just mega-glorified Super Bowl halftime shows ... and really the reason I probably hate them the most is because each and every Summer Olympics the ceremonies are brought up constantly, whether good or bad, as if that is the defining moment of the entire Olympics....

As luck would have it, a video has been leaked showing what the 2008 opening ceremonies have in store and I can see I won't be missing much this year by not watching them...and no, I have no idea what the people are saying...

Huge Surprise: Favre Not Retiring

A surprise to no one... Brett Favre is going to report to Packers training camp and it sounds like the Jets and Buccaneers are interested in trading for Favre. Oh am I hoping he sucks total ass because I am so sick and tired of Brett Favre I want him to be hated on as much as possible, whenever possible.

Charger Camp Opens

Time to get back into NFL mode...

The Charger preseason training camp opened yesterday and, like most of the time, the Chargers first round pick, Antoine Cason, is not signed and will not make the start of training camp, but that is a typical Charger tradition to not have their first round pick signed for training camp.

Antonio Gates worked out yesterday as well, testing his big toe that he injured during the playoffs last year...he said it is sore, but tolerable - unclear as to whether or not he will be able to play in the opener against Carolina, but this guy played 2 playoff games with a busted toe, so I'm thinking he is a 'tough guy' and will be playing when the season kicks off barring any setbacks.

New iPhone 3G

Here's a great new commercial for the new iPhone 3G... the new iPhone incorporates so many great features that are helpful to the impoverished...because that's what you will be if you continue to buy iPhones!

More Roids For Clemens

Not that anyone really needs too much more proof that Roger Clemens was a roid user while he played professional baseball, convicted steroids dealer Kirk Radomnski found 2 shipping slips that he said were from packages of steroids he shipped to Clemens' home. Of course Rog will simply say they were for his wife, but I didn't believe that his wife is the steroid user in the house so I won't believe this lie either...

Favre: Attention Whore Part II

Why am I the only one on the planet that thinks Brett Favre is just an attention seeking whore? It was just last year that I noted how every offseason is just a Brett Favre soap-opera. 2 years of the "Am I going to retire?" game, last year was the Randy Moss/hold-out pout drama and apparently Brett didn't like the way that played... so this year he is really ratcheting it up...texting the GM of the Packers...the Packers GM brushes Brett off, because I am sure he has just got to be about the most fed up with Brett's little games, and then all of a sudden a television station finds out that Brett Favre text message the GM of the Packers and was brushed off...gee, how would a television station find something like that out? Oh, I don't know... maybe because Brett Favre probably told them! I mean Jesus Christ this guy is a complete freakin' media whore... if he doesn't see a highlight of him playing on ESPN every night he has to make a phone call to get them right back talking about him... and of course since most Packer fans are blindly loyal to their god Brett, he is infalliable, they don't see that his yearly song and dance show is so transparently a cry for attention they are more than happen to engage in the story and prop Favre up anyway they can. Of course, I have ran into a few, very few, other Packer fans that are tired of Favre's little games...so I know my sentiment isn't exclusive to myself, but at the same time, I have yet to hear of any national sports talker that has really tasked Favre's yearly drama he likes to put on...

What is he going to do next year after he plays for the Packers this year? I think retire say you are going to become a professional bullrider, unretire because the competitiveness is such an intoxicating personal drive but then retire before training camp and then unretire for the final preseason game and come running out of the tunnel just after the halftime because he was 4 hours away not expecting to play but a Packer friend called him from the bus on the way to the stadium and it was just an overwhelming, almost epiphonic rush that told him, Brett, you need to get to that game and help your team this season and the roars we would hear from the crowd would echo to the moon...oh, the made for television movie will be such a tear-jerker when you add that in with all the other Favre moments that will envoke tears from anyone without any embellshment needed...excuse me while I supress my own vomit....

Foley Settles, Case Over

And just like that the Steve Foley case is over with a settlement. It's probably pretty clear that the police officer was in the wrong and the city and his attorneys probably wanted to settle for the least amount of money that they could get away with, but I would guess that several million dollars will be paid to Foley with this victory.

Branded Ball Ends Up At The HOF

How quickly things change...less than 24 hours ago the MLB Hall of Fame stated that it was not getting Barry Bonds' steroid-powered 756th homerun ball and now this morning the ball is in Cooperstown...

The best part...if Barry Bonds is a man of his word...which being a liar and a cheater I doubt that he is...has stated that he will boycott the HOF if the ball was displayed with the branded asterisk, which it will be...so we got that to hope for...

Record HR Ball Not Going To The HOF

Marc Ecko, purchased Barry Bonds' 756th homerun ball and held a contest asking the public what he should do with the ball. The results from the poll had the ball being branded and sent to the Hall Of Fame. But now the MLB Hall Of Fame has stated, "The owner’s previous commitment to unconditionally donate the baseball has changed to a loan. As a result, the Hall of Fame will not be able to accept the baseball." Not sure why Ecko would go back on his committment to unconditionally donate the baseball, especially if it is donated with the branded asterisk... I think everyone in the future will know fully well how tainted that record is.

How To Pretend To Care About The Elections

This is too funny... tips on how to pretend you know politics... actually ways to make it look like your informed!

Landis Verdict Upheld

Well Floyd Landis is 0 for 2 in trying to clear his name and regain the 2006 Tour de France title that he was stripped of after testing positive for doping.

What the Floyd Landis case, for me, more than anything else is to no longer trust the athlete's word when they deny the allegations of cheating. The athlete, like Landis, time and time again will launch an increbile public relations campaign to sway public opinion and offer some sort of plausible excuse. I even was willing to give Landis some benefit of the doubt. But as what has been seen in the past, when these cases go to court the athletes always lose...ALWAYS. What makes me change my perspective towards the athlete in these cases was the Marion Jones case, the Barry Bonds case and now the Floyd Landis case where...

In the end, the panel saved its harshest criticism for Landis, who it said essentially tried to muddle the evidence and embarrass the French lab, and continued on that course even after the evidence was shown not to exist.

It further illuminates the desperation these athletes exhibit to save their fame. You then factor in that the Landis camp also tried to threaten Greg LeMond the night before his testimony during the first hearing, you can see how desperate Landis was to be cleared. The problem the athletes have and is ultimately always the key factor in these cases, is that they did indeed cheat...they only think the bad part that they did was getting caught.

By catching Landis in '06 and with last years scandals during the Tour de France - multiple cyclists dismissed for testing positive including a yellow jersey - it appears that cycling has developed a methodology that should minimalize cheating in their sport. Hopefully this is the beginning of a new drug free era in all sports.

You Suck At Photoshop Season 2

After a short break, the You Suck At Photoshop series has started it's second season...

Enjoy...

Wimbledon '08 Underway

Wimbledon started on Monday and I have been fortunate enough to watch quite a few matches thanks to DirecTV and the Tennis Channel. There are 6 live court feeds and the Tennis Channel is replaying matches during primetime...so it has been really tough to actually not watch Wimbledon coverage!

Today I tuned in time to watch the final set and 1/2 from the Safin-Djokovic match...Djokovic looked totally beaten and dejected, double-faulting on match point(!?!?!)...whereas Safin looked like the Safin of late 2000 when he won the US Open and was the number 1 ranked player in the world. But Safin has had the skills that could beat anyone on any given day...but his mental game hinders him as to where he could lose to anyone on any given day.

Also, Djokovic...this guy has been rammed down my throat as the 'next best guy'...oh sure, he won the Australian Open this year but let's be real...the Australian Open is the 'small pig' on the list of majors to have on your resume....yes, you want to make sure you win at least one for the career grand slam but there really isn't much other 'honor' than winning the warmup tournament of tennis which happens to be labeled a major. I do want to like Djokovic, but he seems to be just a better James Blake... player that can consistantly make it to the semi's yet lose.

I watched Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling over the lunch break...Soderling did break Rog in the 3rd set, but Rog broke Soderling to get back on serve at 5-5, the set went to a tiebreak and Rog was up 5-0 before closing the deal (I think) 7-2. I like Federer and I think he is playing well...this match with Soderling, Rog was able to ratchet up his game to save a set point, get back on serve and then dominate the tiebreak.

I have been paying attention to the women's side, but really haven't had a chance to watch any matches...I'm a Sharapova fan and she is an underdog these days so I'll try to follow her through the tourney...

I'm watching the Igor Andreev-David Ferrer match this afternoon via the internet here, not a bad way to spend an afternoon at work...

Foley Case To Begin

It's been almost 2 years since San Diego Charge linebacker Steve Foley was shot by an off-duty police officer, essentially ending his career. The trial, where Foley is suing the shooter, Aaron Mansker and the city that employed him, Coronado, CA.

I will continue to follow this case, but in my mind, I think Foley has a strong case...even though the court will not allow the fact that Mansker was turned down by employment from 10(!) agencies, because of psychological reasons...namely, a vendetta towards drunk drivers. You then factor in that Mansker has 3 times been involved in off-duty situations, prior to Foley, that he followed Foley for over 20 minutes and then eventually shot him. The mere appearance of a renegade, over zealous officer seems to develop. I have no idea why the court would not find any of that information relevant, but I would think that Foley and his legal team will find a way to get some of that information revealed during testimony during the trial if possible.

Article here.

Religion: Why You Should Join

Here's a fairly factual commercial about religion....

Filter: Sioux Falls, SD 6-17-08

So me and some friends went to Sioux Falls, SD this past Tuesday to go see Filter at the Sioux Falls Expo Building.

The show was really good...the crowd, we felt, was surprisingly small... I would guess 500 people. Filter still put on a really good show...they played all their hits (IE: Head Like A Hole, Take A Picture, Welcome To The Fold) and had a good mix of new songs from their latest album. Filter could have easily gone 'dark' and slow if they wanted too, but instead, played mostly high energy, heavy rocking songs. The drummer that is with Filter right now was really whaling on the drums and he really put on a show.

The Richard Patrick - lead singer/Filter - mentioned at the end of the show that maybe next time the promoter will get it right and get a decent pa for them. The pa did seem small...the upside...my ears weren't ringing at the end of the show.

As we were walking into the show, about 45 minutes before Filter was to play, we walked by Filter's bus to see the guys throwing orange cones for fun and just as we were passing, Richard Patrick came out and greeted one of our buddies that was wearing a Clutch T-Shirt saying that Clutch is one of his favorite bands too. Brush with greatness it was...

Here are some videos taken with my cell phone... so they suck... but it's something....

No Smoking Allowed...ANYWHERE!

So my town just passed a complete no-smoking ban for all businesses. Previously, smoking was permitted only in bars/restaurants that didn't allow patrons under the age of 21. Well, of course this isn't good enough for all the nannies of the world and they rallied their do-gooders and got everyone to pass the complete ban.

Now, let me start out with this... yes, it is probably the 'right' thing to do. Smoking is bad and evil and so on... and it does seem to be a 'considerate' type of thing to do...But here's where I have some issues...

First it is all the non-smoking proponents that say that businesses won't be adversely affected but rather that this will be a boon for them...for you see, there is a plethora of non-smokers that would just LOVE to go out and frequent these establishments but the stench of smoke prohibited them because of health concerns. This couldn't be a bigger lie... here, in my town, the majority of businesses were smoke free and there were even smoke free bars...what prevents them from going to these places? Of course nothing...they have no intention of increasing their frequency to go to bars but will say that they will just to say it...and to prove everyone wrong, they may very well step into one of the former smoking bars...once...but never will return. These people aren't the clientele bars are interested nor do they have any interest into going to bars in the first place.

For you see, probably the most underlying reason a non-smoking ordinance passes is because there are a group of people that don't approve of the type of lifestyle others have. They have non intention of paying for liquor let alone going out to consume it at an establishment and if there is anyway they can make it less 'fun' for those that do choose to go out to the bars, they must be hindered.

I would have less of a problem with the non-smoking ordinance passing if it wasn't for the 'type' of people that are behind it. They have little concern for liberties of a person or for governmental interfering with the way a business operates...their only concern is their personal vendetta against those that smoke and go to bars...which again, is only because they choose not too and want too somehow hinder those that do.

I would gladly vote to outlaw the consumption and sale of all tobacco products but even the health groups don't want that because that is where they get their funding as well. Even when asked during this campaign, many posed the question that wouldn't it be even a better tact to ban tobacco within the city? And the nannies come up with some excuse as to why that isn't even considered...but the real reason would be that they would be out of business if tobacco was totally outlawed...

Woods Wins In Sudden Death

Rocco Mediate had to make a lengthy putt on the first hole of sudden death to extend the playoff with Tiger Woods for the 2008 US Open championship. But Rocco placed his drive into a fairway bunker, then his second shot was well of the mark landing in the grandstands but still had a respectable putt for par to remain tied with Tiger but missed that shot. Tiger, on the other hand, blasted his tee-shot and landed on the fairway. Then made the green in regulation with a lengthy birdie attempt himself...missed that and tapped in for par...and that was the conclusion of the 2008 US Open... the whole weekend had some unbelievable golfing and Tiger Woods provided plenty of highlight material to his resume...

US Open Goes To Sudden Death

Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods just finished their 18 hole playoff to decide the winner of the 2008 US Open Championship...both golfers shot even par for the round. One would have thought that Tiger had the match won when he up by 3 strokes with 8 to play...but Mediate outplays Tiger on the backnine and Rocco had a putt on the 18th hole that would have won it for him...but was by far no gimme. Just like yesterday, Tiger needed a birdie on the 18th to keep playing for the championship and he got it...